How to Respond to Google Reviews (With Templates)

Every review response has two readers: the person who wrote the review, and everyone who reads the profile afterwards. The second group is much larger and is deciding whether to call you. Write for them. Below are the principles and templates we use when we handle responses for clients — adapt the wording, keep the structure.

Principles

• Respond to all of them, within two working days, from the business account. Not only the bad ones; a profile with thirty five-star reviews and one angry response looks worse than one with thirty short thank-yous.
• Be specific. Mention the service or product and, where natural, the location. "Glad the boiler service went smoothly" beats "Thanks for your review!" — for the reader and for the relevance signal.
• Keep it short. Two to four sentences. Nobody reads a paragraph from a business.
• Sound like a person. Sign with a first name. No "Dear valued customer", no legalese.
• Never share personal details — appointment dates, what they bought, health information. Even if the reviewer did. Especially in healthcare, this is a regulatory issue.
• Never argue in public. You will not win, and the next reader sees a business that fights with customers.

Templates

Five stars, detailed

Thanks, Sarah — really pleased the new patio has turned out well, and that the team left the garden tidy. Enjoy the summer out there. If you ever want the fencing looked at, you know where we are. — Tom

Five stars, no text

Thank you, Mr Patel — appreciated. See you at the next service. — Tom

Four stars with a minor gripe

Thanks for the review, Jo, and for the note about the wait at reception — you're right, Saturday mornings have been busier than we planned for and we've added a second person on the desk from this month. Glad the treatment itself went well.

Negative, legitimate complaint

I'm sorry, David — that's not the standard we work to and I'd like to put it right. I've looked into what happened with the delivery and I'd rather talk it through than go back and forth here. Could you call me directly on 020 8000 0000 or email [email protected]? — Tom, owner

Acknowledge, apologise for the experience (not necessarily for fault), show you have looked, take it offline with a real name and route. Do not rehash the details.

Negative, you believe it is wrong

Thanks for taking the time to leave feedback. I've checked our records and I can't find a booking under this name or matching this description — if you could contact me on 020 8000 0000 I'd like to understand what happened and put it right if we've made a mistake. — Tom

Calm, factual, no accusation, open door. If it is genuinely not your customer, flag it for removal as well (see removing fake reviews) — the response stays for the readers either way.

Negative, abusive or clearly fake

We take all feedback seriously, but we have no record of this customer and have reported this review to Google. Anyone with a genuine concern is welcome to contact me directly on 020 8000 0000. — Tom, owner

One response, then stop. Do not reply again however many times they edit.

Review about the wrong business

Hi Emma — I think this may be intended for a different business; we're Smith Heating in Croydon and don't do kitchen fitting. Happy to help if you do need a plumber, though! We've flagged it to Google so it reaches the right place.

Healthcare and regulated businesses

Do not confirm the reviewer is a patient or client, do not discuss treatment, do not reference dates. A safe pattern: "Thank you for your feedback. We take all comments seriously and would welcome the chance to discuss this with you directly — please contact the practice manager on…" Check your regulator's guidance (GDC, GMC, SRA, FCA) on responding to public reviews.

Timing and tools

Turn on review notifications in your profile so nothing sits for a week. Respond from the Business Profile app or dashboard, not a third-party tool that posts as "the business" with a generic voice. If you are responding to dozens a week across locations, templates in a shared doc keep tone consistent without sounding automated.

What responses do for ranking

Directly, a little; Google says it "shows you value your customers" and there is some evidence responded-to profiles do better. Indirectly, a lot: response rate is one of the first things a potential customer notices, and profiles that convert well hold their pack positions. It is the cheapest hour of local SEO work you will do each month — and it is included in every plan.

---

Read next